1. Technical Field
One or more embodiments relate generally to electronic communication systems and methods. More specifically, one or more embodiments relate to systems and methods for increasing organization and functionality in an electronic communication system.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Computing devices (e.g., computers, tablets, and smart phones) provide numerous ways for people to connect and communicate with one another. For example, a variety of electronic communication systems provide various methods to send and receive electronic messages. For instance, a computing device can allow a user to communicate with other users using text messaging, instant messaging, social network posting, and other forms of electronic communication. In addition, an electronic communication may include a variety of content including text, images, video, and/or other data. In general, electronic communication has become a popular way for people to connect and communicate with one another.
Due to the wide variety of ways in which people can communicate using electronic communication systems, user interfaces associated with electronic communication systems tend to become cluttered. For example, a communication user interface may include a keyboard and a communication thread area, in addition to other display elements. When displayed on a smaller screen (i.e., the touch screen display of a handheld device), a user interface including various elements quickly becomes cluttered.
Furthermore, as a user interface includes more elements, the viewable portion of the communication thread usually shrinks in order to accommodate the additional elements. This is problematic because a user generally needs or desires to see the last several communications sent and received in order to understand the context of the communication session, as well as to remember where the communication session left off. Determining the context and content of a communication session is typically difficult if no more than a few lines of text are viewable within the communication thread.
Thus, there are several disadvantages to current methods of organizing user interfaces of electronic communication systems.